Slide fasteners



June 4, 1957 w. MIKULAS SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Aug. 20, 1953 INVENTOR. WILLAM M! KL JLA5 ATTORNEYS 'tener at that end where the movement United States Patent 1 i2;794',229. SLIDE FASTENERS Application August20,'1953', seriarNe-srsgoe 9iClaims. .c1-. 214-205211)' 'The invention relates to slidejfasteners and, moreparticularly to means for improving thev strengthof. thefasof the. Slider in fastener-opening direction .is limited or stopped.

In one of themost common types ofgslidefastener, the lower ends of stringers are secured togetherirnmediately below the lowermost fastener elements or scoops by a so-called permanent bottom stop, ,as distinguished from a separable bottom stop assembly which permits, the stringers to be disassembled. The strength of a fastener at'the-b'ottom stop is a highly important :and determinative factor in assessing the qualityof the ,product; The present. invention relates to improvements in the construction 'of a slide fastener of the .type having a. permanentb'ottom stop.

One 'ofthe objects 'of'the present invention-is to construct" the slide fastener so. that the" bottom stop. will better resist the application of forces acting to displace it 'in a longitudinal direction.

Another object of the invention-is to construct the fastener so that the bottom stop will better withstandthe application of-crossv-pull forces'upon the stringers which act topull the beaded ,edgesof'thetapes out" from within the stop.

The'foregoingstated objects and other objects 'areaccompli'shed bymeans-ofmy-novel slider. Also, the slider and bottom stop 'co-act in a wholly novel manner. in fact, the co-action of these two components of the fastener is such that'the clamping strength ofthebottom =stop upon the tapes is actually increased-asubstantial amountbey-ond its-initialor original-holding-power;

To the accomplishment of the'foregoing objects and such other objects which will hereinafter-appear; my invention is directed to an improved slide fastenerparticularly the slider thereof, and the co-action of-the slider with the bottom stop, as sought to 'be'; defined-in the appended claims, and as describedin the following specification taken together with the accompanying-drawing in which:

Fig. 1 Ba partial plan view of a slidefastener embodying theprinciples-of the'present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale of 'the bottom stop element of the slide fastener shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, and partly in section, of the slider of the fastener shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is aplanview'ot the insidesurfa'ce of the bottom wing of the slider shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is apartial' plan View of-a slide fastenero'fthe priorarttype, showing the relationshipof the-partswhen .the slider has been moved to its lowermost position. to open zthe-fastener, the top wing of the slider being omitted forthepurposeiof clarityin illustration;

Fig. 6. is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing 'the ,-rela' tionshipzof theiparts of: the fastener .with.mymovel -slider;

Rig: 7 is.a partial side. elevation; partlyinrseetion, showingthe relationship of the slider ofi-theipresentcinspecifically, and as shown in "a pair of substantially p arallel gether at theii' lower ends by anarrow fined on top and' bottom the narrow neck portion 26' stringers.- 'qu'irements' substantially equal to the joined at their-upper endsby a neck or Ice vention. and thehottomstop when the slider isin the position shown in '.Fi g.. '6, the stringers being om'tted inthi's view "for thepurpose of'clarity in illustrationpand Fig. 8 is a view similar to'Eig. '7 illustrating another form of'the invention.

.Referringto the drawings, and particularly to .Figs. 1 and 2, the slide fastener comprises theusual stringersxll and1'4,eaeh provided with spaced'interlockable fastener elements 16;. The stringers '12 andL1'4 comprise tapes 18 provided withfbeadedor thickened edges 20 .to which the fastener elements "16 are secured, asfby clamping, vcasting or molding. The beaded edges may be formed inany suitable manner, as by sewing cords on opposite sides of the -tape edges, or. by'weaving cords, into the edge of the "tapeiasantintegral part'thereof. The stringers .12 and 114 are.connectedtogether'by 'a bottom; stop B immediatelyjbelow theglowermost scoop, the stopserving to limit the movementjoff the slider S' in fastener-opening direction;

The bottom stop "B, is of a common and well=known variety, such' as generally shown in the patents 'to Norton, 1&8533635', April '1 2, 1932; 'Seaver, 1,964,485, .June 26, l9-3 tyor'Schaye, 2;5715,*l"87, November 13, 1951. More Fig, 2, this stop comprises plates"22, 24 connectedytoneck-portion 26.. Thednnensurfaces oftheplateszfl, 24 are provided with spaced indentations 'or, grooves 28 which receive the beadeded'gesZt) ofthe'tapes'when thestop is, clamped Thus, thebeaded edges 20. are con.- by' the-plates 2-2, ,24 and laterally, or on the sides, by; the central-ribs 30 and the outside-rails 32. Thetop-edges 34 of the stopsgplates areadjacent the-"lowermost scoops on the stringers, and is located intermediate the For numerous reasons, dictated by the reof various operations of fastener manufacture-andend' usage, such as-for gaging, enameling, sewing the fastenerinto the garment, etc., aswell as for appearance, 'thebottom stop -B'has a-width'equal to'thewidth of the-scoops when engaged or meshed, and a thickness thickness of the-scoops. Thus, when the'slider is-moved allthe way to the bottom of the fastener to open same, the bottom=stop -B-is receivedwithonto'the tape-edges.

in the 'slider s internal channel.

The slider S- is of the usual variety, except fora novel structural change which hereinafter will be described. The 'slider comprisesspaced-"top and bottom'wings 36,..38 post 40. Thetop wing isprovided with-inturned rails or flanges 42 and the bottom wingwith inturned rails ,or flanges 4,4, which'together with the neck or post 40 form the usual Y-shap ed internal channel C. A pull tab 46* is 'secured to a lug 48 provided on the top w1ng 36. to permit the slider to be moved up and down along the stringers. The slider S may be formed in any suitable. fashion, as by stamping, molding or die-casting, and may be of the non-locking, pin-lock, wing-lock, friction-lock or automatic locking type. The non-locking type of slider is illustrated for simplification of illustration only, and, as thus far described, the slider may be of any conventional type or structure.

-As shown in Fig. 5, when an ordinary slider, designated S, is-moved downwardly or in fastener-opening direction, the movement ofthe slider is halted when its neck portion, 40 engages thetop edges 34 of the bottom stop B. If, as sometimes occurs, the slider is moved-downwardly with unduly great. force, the impact of the neck: portion upon the top edges of the bottomstop will cause the clampingstrength .of thestop upon the beaded edges-of the. tapes. to lie-exceeded, .and results :in the bottom stop being displaced downwardly in the direction of the arrows x.

Another weakness of the ordinary fastener is evident when it is subjected to cross-pull causing the stringers to be pulled in the direction of the arrows y, as shown in Fig. 5. With the slider S in this fully opened fastener position, the fastener elements 16 are no longer supported in the slider. The full cross-pull forces exerted upon the stringers are taken by the beaded edges of the tapes in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rails 32 of the bottom sto or at their corners, designated 50. These are the weakest points of the bottom stop, because they are at the mouth end, and furthermost from the connecting neck portion 26 at the other end. The beaded edges 20 will pull out of the stops grooves 28.

To materially improve the ability of the bottom stop B to Withstand the forces tending to displace it along or across the stringer tapes, as hereinbefore described, the slider is simply provided with a projection P, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 7, or P, as shown in Fig. 8. The projection is formed on the inside surface of a wing and projects into the internal channel of the slider a distance suflicient to engage the bottom stop and halt the movement of the slider before the slider can move down far enough for the neck portion to engage the bottom stop. The projection is located intermediate the neck portion and the bottom of the slider, and is spaced from both. As shown in Fig. 6, there are several scoops on each stringer which remain within the slider when the projection engages the bottom stop. Instead of the cross-pull forces upon the stringers being taken entirely by the comparatively weak points 50 of the bottom stop, several scoops 16 now in the slider bear against the inturned flanges 42 and 44 of the slider. The greatest part of the cross-pull forces is distributed across the comparatively strong inturned flanges of the slider against which the plurality of scoops bear, and only a very small component of force is taken by the weak corners 50 of the stop.

Preferably, the projection and the bottom stop have co-acting means whereby the against the stop will cause the stop to clamp the beaded tape edges with increased holding power, thereby increasing the bottom stops ability to withstand forces acting to longitudinally displace it, or to separate it from the tapes in a lateral direction. As shown in Figs. 3 and 7, the projection P is provided with a bevel or inclined surface 52 on at least its side facing the bottom stop. Although the inclined surface is only needed on that side facing the bottom stop, it is convenient in manufacturing the slider to simply throw up a substantially frustro-conically shaped projection on the inside of a wing, as shown. When, as shown in Fig. 7, the slider S is moved downwardly, and the projection P is pressed against the upper edge of plate 24 of the bottom stop, the plate moves up on the projection causing the plates to be cammed or pressed towards each other and against a wall of the channel.

In order to realize maximum camming action, or increased clamping pressure upon the bottom stop plates, the projection is preferably located in the upper half of the slider, or between the arm portions of the internal Y-shaped channel. Also, it is preferred to position the projection on the median longitudinal axis of the slider. The slider wings maximum resistance to spreading apart is at the neck portion, and diminishes toward the month end of the slider. Thus, to realize the maximum camming effect, while permitting as many scoops as possible to be positioned within the slider channel when the projection engages the stop, it is preferred to position the projection between the neck portion and the upper end of the stem portion of the sliders internal channel.

While it is preferred to use a conventional bottom stop B, which has not been altered, to cooperate with the described slider, the advantages of the invention may he realized by altering the bottom stop slightly and utilizing pressure of the projection a slider formed with a straight-sided projection. As shown in Fig. 8, the bottom stop, designated B, is provided with an inclined surface 54 on one of the plates 24' for coaction with the projection P, so that when the projection engages and presses against the inclined surface 54, the plates, 22', 24', are caused to be pressed towards each other and against a wall of the channel.

While the projection P has been shown as formed in only one Wing, the lower wing of the slider, it will be obvious that it may also be formed in the upper wing instead, or in both wings. Also, though the frustroconically shaped projection is preferred, theprojection may be given any suitable form to accomplish the described purposes and functions.

It is believed that the novel construction of the described slide fastener, including the novel slider and its co-action with the bottom stop, as well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It also will be apparent that while I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention, changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A slide fastener comprising a pair of stringers each having spaced interlockable fastener elements secured to the beaded edge of a tape, a slider comprising a pair of spaced wings connected at one end by a neck portion and having inturned flanges to thereby provide a substantially Y-shaped internal channel for engaging and disengaging the fastener elements, the spacing between said wings being slightly greater than the corresponding dimension of the fastener elements to allow free movement of the slider, and a permanent bottom stop connecting the stringers together, said bottom stop being located immediately below the lowermost fastener elements on the stringers, and having dimensions which permit it to be received within said internal channel, said slider being provided with a projection formed on the inside surface of a wing and projecting into the internal channel of the slider a distance suflicient for engaging said bottom stop and halting the downward movement of the slider, said projection being located intermediate said neck portion and the upper end of the stern portion of the Y-shaped channel so as not to interfere with the free movement .of the slider, the relationship of the parts being such that fastener elements on the stringers are positioned within the internal channel of the slider when the projection is in engagement with the bottom stop, whereby the fastener elements within the slider will bear against said inturned flanges formed on the inside surface of a wing.

2. A slide fastener comprising a pair of stringers each having spaced interlockable fastener elements secured to the beaded edge of a tape, a slider comprising a pair of spaced wings connected at one end by a neck portion and having inturned flanges to thereby provide a substantially Y-shaped internal channel for engaging and disengaging the fastener elements, the spacing between said wings being slightly greater than the corresponding dimension of the fastener elements to allow free movement of the slider, and a permanent bottom stop conmeeting the stringers together, said bottom stop being located immediately below the lowermost fastener elements on the stringers, and having dimensions which permit it to be received within said internal channel, the bottom stop being of the type which comprises a pair of opposed plates clamped onto the beaded edges of the tapes, said slider being provided with a projection formed on the inside surface of a wing and projecting into the internal channel of the slider a distance suificient for engaging said bottom stop and halting the downward movement of the slider, said projection being located intermediate said neck portion and the upper end of the stem portion of the Yeshaped channel so as not to interfere with the free movement of the slider, the relationship of the parts being such that fastener elements on the stringers are positioned within the internal channel of the slider when the projection is in engagement with the bottom stop, whereby the fastener elements within the slider will bear against said inturned flanges formed on the inside surface of a wing, said projection and a plate of said bottom stop having coacting means whereby the pressure of said projection against said plate will cause the plates to be pressed towards each other and against a wall of the channel.

3. A slide fastener comprising a pair of stringers each having spaced interlockable fastener elements secured to the beaded edge of a tape, a slider comprising a pair of spaced wings connected at one end by a neck portion and having inturned flanges to thereby provide a substantially Y-shaped internal channel for engaging and disengaging the fastener elements, the spacing between said Wings being slightly greater than the corresponding dimension of the fastener elements to allow free movement of the slider, and a permanent bottom stop connecting the stringers together, said bottom stop being located immediately below the lowermost fastener elements on the stringers, and having dimensions which permit it to be received within said internal channel, the bottom stop being of the type which comprises a pair of opposed plates clamped onto the beaded edges of the tapes, said slider being provided with a projection formed on the inside surface of a wing and projecting into the internal channel of the slider a distance sufficient for engaging said bottom stop and halting the movement of the slider, said projection being located intermediate the neck portion and the upper end of the stem portion of the Y-shaped channel so as not to interfere with the free movement of the slider, said projection having an inclined surface on that side thereof which engages said bottom stop, whereby the pressure of said projection against a bottom stop plate will cause the plates to be pressed toward each other.

4. The slide fastener of claim 2 in which the said coacting means includes the forming of said projection in substantially frustro-conical shape.

5. The slide fastener of claim 1, in which the projection is stamped on the inside surface of the lower wing of the slider and is located on the median longitudinal axis of the slider.

6. A slider for use with slide fasteners of the type comprising a pair of stringers each having spaced interlockable fastener elements secured to the beaded edge of a tape and a permanent bottom stop connecting said stringers and limiting the movement of the slider in fastener-opening direction, said slider comprising a pair of spaced wings connected at one end by a neck portion and having inturned flanges to provide a substantially Y-shaped internal channel for engaging and disengaging the fastener elements, the spacing between said wings being slightly greater than the corresponding dimension of the fastener elements to allow free movement of the slider, and a projection formed on the inside surface of a wing and projecting into the internal channel of the slider a distance sufficient for engaging said bottom stop and halting the movement of the slider, said projection being located intermediate said neck portion and the upper end of the stem portion of the Y-shaped channel so as not to interfere with the free movement of the slider.

7. The slider of claim 6 in which the projection has an inclined surface on that side thereof which engages the bottom stop.

8. The slider of claim 6 in which the projection is substantially frustro-conical in shape, is stamped on the inside surface of the slider lower wing and is located on the median longitudinal axis of the slider.

9. The slide fastener of claim 3 in which the projection is stamped in frustro-conical form on the inside surface of the lower wing of the slider and is located on the median longitudinal axis of the slider.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,785,715 Norton Dec. 16, 1930 2,077,360 Gilmore Apr. 13, 1937 2,119,352 Puc May 31, 1938 2,192,013 Marinsky Feb. 27, 1940 2,575,187 Schaye Nov. 13, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 357,072 Great Britain of 1931 

